Royal worn down by Burroughs

Two hard-fought games to start the season have apparently taken its toll on Royal High.

The Highlanders were also shorthanded going into its matchup against Burroughs on Friday night.

Led by quarterback Nathan Piper and running back Benjamin Peters, Burroughs opened its season by outlasting host Royal 45-30.

“This was a tough game for us, but one we’ll benefit from,” Royal head coach Matthew Lewis said. “At the end, were trying to tape everything together and put it together with sticks, and it was tough.”

Quarterback Zeke Savage passed for 308 yards and four touchdowns for the Highlanders (1-2).

Piper passed for 226 yards and three touchdowns and Peters rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Burroughs, clinging to a two-point lead with time winding down in the first half, drove 74 yards on just eight plays, with Piper finding Cerain Baker for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left for a 31-22 lead.

Burroughs took control of the game in the third quarter. Piper hit Baker for a 24-yard TD reception and Hakeem Hickman scored on a 2-yard run for a 45-22 lead.

Royal refused to go down without a fight. Savage lost a fumble that was quickly picked up by Chris Hulin, who ran it in the end zone for a touchdown.

“We ended up losing by 15 points, but it felt like that deficit should’ve been greater,” Lewis said. “They fought back. I’m proud of them and I think the experience will help us down the line.”

Burroughs jumped out the early lead in the first quarter. After a field goal, Piper hit Devin Harrison for an 8-yard TD.

Then came a wild final minute of the quarter. Royal finally got its offense going, marching 73 yards on just six plays. Savage completed four straight passes on the last four plays, with the final one going for a 22-yard touchdown to Colin Mitchell.

But Benjamin Peters broke loose for an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of Burrough's next drive.

Royal made the game’s first big defensive play when Mitchell intercepted Piper and returned to the Royal 32. Three plays later, Caleb Hicks broke free for a 48-yard touchdown reception.

After Burroughs scored again, Royal came back with a six-play, 63-yard drive, capped by a 27-yard TD pass from Savage to Mitchell. After a fumble on the extra-point attempt, Edward Fernandez pick up the ball and ran it into the end zone for a two points to cut Burroughs' lead to 24-22.

Royal will look bounce back next Friday when it plays at Channel Islands.